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China Elevator Stories
My family of five
I pick up pictures at a Kodak store in Shenzhen.
24/06/2014
Ruth Silbermayr
Author
One day in December 2013, I go to pick up pictures at a small Kodak shop near my place in Shenzhen. I want to put some pictures on the wall to make our flat look more comfy. When I enter the shop, the guy behind the counter takes a few passport photos in his hands and says: “Your family of five.”
I say: “I’m sorry?”
He tells me: “Your family of five. These are the photos for your visa.”
He starts to show me the pictures. The first one shows a foreign guy, the second one shows a foreign woman, and the other pictures show their three sons. The oldest of them seems to be in his teens, which, if I were his mom, would make me a very young mom, I guess.
His co-worker sees my confusion and is quick to tell him: “Those aren’t her photos. Her pictures are over there.”
With this little hint, he’s able to find my photos. We all laugh, and after they hand me my pictures, I go back home to decorate our walls.
Have you ever been mistaken for another foreigner?
This is part of the series ‘Conversations with Locals in China,’ where I share conversations with Chinese people on my blog.